The Empty Road, part 2

By Doris Tarbutton

I once was on that busy, worldly road and found it disappointing, not satisfying like I was led to believe from all the earthly wisdom I heard.  It was a dramatic event that changed my thinking and direction.  I have related that experience in detail in earlier writing.  In essence, the Lord allowed me to become so ill with bronchitis that I could not leave the house.  Doctors could find no cause, there was no real pain associated with it, only a deafness and deep congestion.  The Lord stopped up my ears so I could not hear any voice but His.  I fought, whined, complained, cried and felt very sorry for myself until I yielded and began to deny what my flesh desired.  The more I submitted to the Holy Spirit, the more I heard Him speak and my ears began to open, the more I healed from the bronchitis.  It was a spiritual problem and a spiritual resolution.  By the end of that season, I was ready and willing to travel the narrow, empty road.  Empty only in comparison to the wide road full of busy people.  What I discovered is that the Lord’s Holy Spirit was/is my guide and He has selected a few others to travel with me.  These are people that have surrendered to the Lord, chosen Him over the world, and spend their days in fellowship with Jesus.  The joy of their existence is talking about Jesus and what He is doing or has done.  It is all about Him!  I do not miss the busy road one bit.  Being with Jesus is more than worth any sacrifice or elimination of worldly things.  Part of the denial of self I experienced was the elimination of the activities I so enjoyed—tennis, golf, shopping, lunch with women friends.  Jesus replaced those empty activities with Himself.  What an exchange!

The next step, “take up your cross” was a joy and privilege after the cleansing and release I endured.  I have come to understand what my “cross” is: it is to proclaim the message of reconciliation and forgiveness to God’s people.  It doesn’t matter who I am talking with, if the need for forgiveness comes up, I find myself under the anointing of the Holy Spirit to give them the good news of reconciliation!  The Holy Spirit works on the hearer and I see that person come under conviction.  It is an amazing experience to see the Lord do His work through this message.

Do you know what your “cross” is?  Probably not if you are still busy on that main road of busyness.  You must follow the pattern: choose to follow Jesus with nothing withheld; allow the Holy Spirit to clean out your life of all those unnecessary activities and distractions; yield to the leading of the Spirit to reveal to you what your purpose is in His Kingdom; begin to really live the fullness of life Jesus died to gain for you.

I declare to you that you will not miss the old way of life.  Living with Jesus is the most exciting way to live.  You have a choice as to which road you will take.  What is your choice?

 

The Empty Road

By Doris Tarbutton

Now that Allen is retired we find ourselves in the car, traveling to Albany, Texas and to Copper Mountain, Colorado.  We have tried many alternate routes to each destination to determine which is the quickest, most interesting, shortest, with the least big truck traffic.  We have not found one route with all those characteristics, but we have learned how to avoid the majority of the big truck traffic.  The most efficient route from The Woodlands to Denver is US 287.  It is the preferred route for all those trucks traveling west!  In the summer it is the preferred route for all those families going to the mountains for vacation!  It is an interesting route as there are many small communities along the way.  Some have curious names that must have a history.  Towns like Memphis, Quanah, Vernon, Clarendon, Estelle, Childress—all established in early Texas history.  Most of them are approximately a day’s horseback ride apart.  In Colorado the names evoke memories of western heroes or characters—Kit Carson, Wild Horse.

Because of the heavy traffic along this route, road construction seems an unending activity.  There is a stretch of US 287 that has been under construction in one section or another for the last several years.  In particular, one part being completely resurfaced causes delays from thirty minutes to an hour.  That may not sound like a long time, but having a ten hour travel day extended to eleven hours caused us to begin looking for an alternate route around this area.

We discovered a good highway—like US 287—just a few miles east, paralleling US 287.  To our amazement there was almost no traffic of any kind.  Why do people choose the congested route, when there is a better one so close?  We continued to seek alternate roads east through Kansas.  Again, we found comparable highways with almost no traffic—meeting a vehicle once every five or so miles.  I had much time to ponder the question: “Why do people choose the way of the world, the busy road, when there is a much better way so close?”

A favorite Scripture of mine is Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”

This teaching of Jesus contrasting the broad and the narrow roads is a beginning point for answering my question.  The truth is that people look to other people to determine their personal path.  The easiest way is to follow the well worn road many have already traveled.  Easy, but the wear and tear causes delays.  Do we want delays on our spiritual journey?  I certainly don’t.  Do we want to take risks getting a better position on the highway?  Does your spiritual journey include seeking a more prestigious title and position—wanting to be ahead of the person in front of you?  Is your journey filled with anxiety, tension, anger, criticism and judgment of others’ actions?  It is my experience that traveling the busy route evokes many of those emotions.  People do stupid things that interfere with my personal journey and I react.  That is a by-product of traveling the broad, busy road.  How many people seek an alternative?  According to my analogy of the empty road, not many!

The alternate road is often narrow.  That means the driver must concentrate and be focused on the path. It means other activities, such as eating or talking on a cell phone, must be eliminated. Traveling the narrow road spiritually requires the same thing—concentration and focus.  I observe that many people are all about satisfying self and resisting any inconvenience or attempt to limit their chosen activity.

I am reminded of Jesus saying: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:24, 26)  If a person is asked “Do you want to follow Jesus?”  I would think the majority would answer “Yes!”  It is the next clause that stymies that same person.  Deny self?  That would mean leaving the well-traveled, busy road and seeking the narrow path, the one less traveled—almost empty of travelers.  Most people like being around others.  In fact, it is my experience that individuals that look for solitude, a less harried pace, more time to pray and ponder spiritual things are the object of pity by those that continue on the busy road.  Being one of those that relish solitude and prayer, I understand the emptiness of their journey.  My deepest desire is to follow Jesus, not from afar, but close enough to know Him intimately. To be continued…